Category: Rutgers recruiting

Raphael Dunn details new Rutgers football offer: ‘I was super excited’

Raphael Dunn talks about being offered by Rutgers football on Tuesday night.

Raphael Dunn was offered by Rutgers football on Tuesday, landing him an offer that the New Jersey defensive back said made him “super happy.”

A 6-foot-4, 200-pound safety from the Lawrenceville School (Lawrenceville, N.J.), Rutgers joins Vanderbilt as Dunn’s other Power Five offer. He also holds offers from UPenn and Temple.

Last season, the class of 2024 recruit had 68 total tackles along with eight passes defended and four interceptions (two Pick-6s). The Big Red finished the season 9-2, winning their final five games.

The offer from Rutgers was an exciting one for Dunn, who said he was thrilled when he finally got on the phone Tuesday night with assistant coach [autotag]Mark Orphey[/autotag] (safeties coach) and head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag].

“I’m super happy with the offer because of the program they have built,” Dunn told Rutgers Wire.

He said that on the call, he felt welcomed by the staff. In particular, Orphey, who would be Dunn’s coach were he to commit to Rutgers, made the recruit “feel like knew him for years.”

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The value of the Rutgers degree, Dunn said, is also appealing.

Dunn details the call and how the offer came in on Tuesday night.

“I was sitting in my cafeteria when coach Orphey called me and scheduled to speak with him later that day at 6:15,” Dunn said.

“I was super excited as to have an opportunity to play for Rutgers. I was nervous the whole day but when he called I wasn’t nervous. We were talking about Rutgers and it felt right. He brought to me coach Schiano and we started talking about culture and how I could add to it. When coach Schiano offered me, I was super excited. All I could think about was how I could add to the culture.”

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Dunn’s upcoming visits include Illinois, Rutgers and Vanderbilt as well as attending Monmouth’s ‘Junior Day.’

The current Rutgers class of 2024 recruiting class currently stands at three commits:

  • Kenny Jones (a three-star offensive lineman from Delran, N.J.)
  • A.J. Surace (the top-ranked quarterback in New Jersey)
  • Gabriel Winowich (A four-star running back from Detroit, MI)

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Top 150 recruit Lathan Sommerville breaks down recent Rutgers basketball visit: ‘I definitely think they are a good fit’

Rutgers basketball got a big visit this past weekend from Lathan Sommerville.

Lathan Sommerville took a recent visit to Rutgers basketball, with one of the top forwards in the nation seeing the trip as a good opportunity to learn more about the Scarlet Knights.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound power forward is a three-star and the No. 140 player in the nation according to On3. A member of the class of 2024, he holds offers from Bradley, Georgia Tech, Missouri, SMU, Villanova, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Xavier and Rutgers. In mid-January, he was offered by Seton Hall.

A powerful defensive presence, Sommerville has a nice offensive game. He is able to bang down low but has a very nuanced outside game including a confident mid-range jumper.

“The visit was great. What really stood out to me was the coaching staff and how close everyone was,” Sommerville told Rutgers Wire about his weekend visit to the Scarlet Knights.

“They’re definitely in the mix. I can tell it’s a competitive program and the guys are getting better.”

He is ranked the No. 20 power forward in the nation by 247Sports.

Sommerville is likely to make his college announcement in the summer. He is planning out visits to Missouri, Villanova and Virginia Tech.

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The Rutgers visit was a solid one for Sommerville. After his recent trip to New Jersey, Somerville said he could “potentially” see himself at the program.

“I definitely think they are a good fit,” Sommerville said.

He said that the coaching staff sticks out along with the environment around the program.

“They seem like they really want to help guys achieve their goals and they are great people,” Sommerville said.

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Four-star Ari Watford pulls in an offer from Rutgers football

Ari Watford gets offered by Rutgers football.

Ari Watford’s latest offer came in on Monday night from Rutgers football, putting the Big Ten program in the mix for the talented edge rusher.

A member of the class of 2025, Watford is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound defensive end from Maury High School (Norfolk, VA). He is a four-star according to 247Sports, where he is the second-best recruit in the state and is the No. 51 player in the nation among all ’25 recruits.

With good length, Watford is explosive off the edge. He has a good first step and is powerful. He is a sound tackler who is capable of making plays in the pocket or in pursuit in run defense.

Watford tweeted about the offer from Rutgers on Monday night. He tagged Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano and linebackers coach C.J. Hetherman in the social media post.

He has a strong offer list that includes the likes of Duke, Florida State, Maryland, Michigan, South Carolina, Syracuse and Tennessee among others.

 

It was a busy Monday for Rutgers football as they offered another class of 2025 recruit in Tamez Young. Out of Wharton High School in Tampa, FL, Young is a tight end prospect who held prior offers from South Florida and Toldeo.

 

Four-star Gabriel Winowich excited by Rutgers football quarterback commit A.J. Surace

Gabriel Winowich talks about the impression he has of Rutgers football quarterback commit A.J. Surace.

Rutgers football added a third commitment to the 2024 recruiting class with the addition of quarterback A.J. Surace. For Gabriel Winowich, this is a big addition to the class.
The top-ranked quarterback in New Jersey, Surace is a three-star who is ranked the eighth-best player in the state according to 247Sports. He had a strong offer list that included programs like Boston College, Duke, Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Temple among others.
For Winowich, the addition of Surace was huge news. A four-star running back out of Michigan, Winowich committed to the Scarlet Knights in January following a visit on the campus.
Surace makes it three commitments to Rutgers for this recruiting class, all on the offensive side of the ball (offensive lineman Kenny Jones committed to Rutgers in November).
“Well, I was pumped up after I heard about his commitment and I was just really excited about the great start we’ve had for this class of 24’ so far,” Winowich told Rutgers Wire this week.
“I really think his commitment is going to help spike this class a lot and it allows us to reach out to more kids and help build this class up. Looking forward to what the future holds!”

Rutgers football recruiting: Three-star Ta’Ron Haile gives an update, planning upcoming visits in March

Ta’Ron Haile gives a quick update on his recruitment.

New Jersey wide receiver Ta’Ron Haile is seeing an uptick in his recruitment, with the talented three-star pulling in some impressive offers over the past few weeks.

Haile holds offers from programs likes Boston College, Maryland, Nebraska, Penn State, and Pittsburgh among others. Rutgers recently offered Haile, a class of 2024 recruit from Millville High School (Millville, N.J.) He is ranked a three-star according to Rivals and the No. 11 player in New Jersey.

He is a 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver who had 48 catches for 680 yards and three touchdowns last season as Millville finished the season 12-2.

Two programs, Haile said, are recruiting him the hardest, this as he hopes to make some visits in March.

“I’ve had a lot of talks with Rutgers and JMU,” Haile said. “I will also be going to Penn State and Old Dominion next month.”

As for how things are going with Rutgers, Haile said that “What stands out to me is them being really close so my family can come to visit.”

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Haile also had the chance to connect with offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and wide receivers coach Dave Brock. The duo of Ciarrocca and Brock are new additions to the Rutgers football coaching staff.

Ciarrocca comes to Rutgers having turned Minnesota into one of the top offenses in the Big Ten. As for Brock, he was most recently the wide receivers coach with the Atlanta Falcons.

“It’s good I had a conversation with them the last time I went up there and it went well,” Haile said.

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Rutgers football recruiting: Florida tight end Tamez Young gets an offer from the Scarlet Knights

Rutgers football offers tight end Tamez Young.

Rutgers football became the first Power Five offer for Tamez Young, offering the Florida tight end on Monday night.

Young is a class of 2025 recruit out of Wharton High School (Tampa, FL). At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, he held prior offers from South Florida and Toledo.

He finished last season with 13 catches for 181 yards and a touchdown as Wharton went 8-3.

He is a solid route runner who is able to get separation down the field. Young uses his frame well and does a nice job of coming down with contested balls and has the potential to be a real red zone threat as he continues to fill-out his frame.

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Young tweeted about the offer on Monday night, tagging head coach Greg Schiano as well as Mark Orphey (running backs coach) and Andrew Aurich (tight ends coach).

 

“I like the way coach Schiano, coach Orphey and coach ‘A’ (Aurich) have been contacting me, showing me how much there interested in me,” Young told Rutgers Wire after the offer from the Scarlet Knights.

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Recruiting insider: New York’s top recruit, Josiah Brown, has a top 10 that includes Rutgers football

One of the top recruits in the nation, four-star Josiah Brown, has Rutgers football in his top 10.

Josiah Brown released his top 10 on Monday, this as the four-star recruit cut down his recruitment. New York’s top athlete, Brown’s cutdown includes some of the biggest programs in college football.

A 6-foot, 170-pound defensive back, Brown is coming off a strong junior season at Holy Trinity (Hicksville, N.Y.). He is ranked by 247Sports as the top recruit in New York’s class of 2024 and the No. 124 recruit in the nation.

A versatile athlete, Brown also plays wid receiver for Holy Trinity, one of the top programs in New York.

Brown’s top 10 includes Michigan, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Nebraska, Miami, Duke, Syracuse, Penn State, Georgia and Rutgers.

He is also a standout sprinter.

Brown tweeted his top 10 on Monday afternoon:

 

Brown is no stranger to Rutgers, having been on campus on multiple occasions including in January. He was among many recruits who were on-campus for an event that included a campus tour, dinner with the coaching staff and taking in the men’s basketball team beating Ohio State.

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Two Long Island players, wide receiver Dylan Braithwaite and safety Ian Strong, were a part of Rutgers’ 2023 recruiting class. During his visit last month, Brown got to talk with Braithwaite and Strong about being freshmen on the football team.

“It was great!” Brown told Rutgers Wire following that visit in January. “I got to see my twin Dylan and my good friend Ian Strong. The basketball game was very electric.”

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Set to visit Rutgers in March, Connecticut offensive lineman Jack Hines gets offered by Florida State

Jack Hines gets an offer from Florida State.

It was a pretty big Monday for Jack Hines, with the standout offensive lineman pulling in an offer from Florida State.

A 6-foot-7, 280-pound offensive lineman at Avon Old Farms (Avon, CT), he is a three-star recruit according to Rivals.

Earlier in February, Rutgers football offered Hines, becoming what was then the sixth Power Five offer for the offensive tackle alongside Kentucky, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and West Virginia. Hines also holds other significant offers from programs like Liberty, Marshall, UMass, Old Dominion, SMU and Temple among others.

Hines tweeted about the offer from Florida State on Monday afternoon. The Seminoles are now the third ACC program to offer:

 

Hines has been upbeat about Rutgers football and is planning to visit the program on March 4. He told Rutgers Wire last week that the Scarlet Knights are doing well in his recruitment:

“Feeling great. They have been showing lots of love,” Hines said.

“They are showing me that they want me. They text me every day. I got like 27 letters from them. They are making me feel wanted.”

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Rutgers football recruiting: Who did the Scarlet Knights offer to close out the week?

Rutgers football sends out three offers to end the week.

Rutgers football capped off what has been a busy week on the recruiting trail with a trio of offers going out.

With three players already committed in the 2024 recruiting class, Rutgers seems to be gaining some momentum early in this recruiting cycle. Since offensive lineman Kenny Jones, a top New Jersey prospect, committed in November, Rutgers has added two verbals this year.

In January, four-star running back Gabriel Winowich from Michigan committed to Rutgers. Then in early February, New Jersey’s top quarterback, A.J. Surace, gave his verbal.

On Wednesday evening, Nahsir Taylor tweeted that he had received an offer from the Big Ten program. A 6-foot-3, 260-pound interior defensive lineman from Rock Creek Christian Academy (Upper Marlboro, MD), Taylor is a class of 2025 recruit.

Rutgers is his second reported Power Five offer along with West Virginia. He also holds an offer from Charlotte.

 

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Timothy Lawson, a tight end from Bishop Verot, tweeted on Thursday about his offer from Rutgers football. Big Ten rival Indiana also offered Lawson this week.

Earlier this year, Pittsburgh and Louisville offered the 6-foot-5, 220-pound tight end from Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, FL).

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Also getting an offer this week is Amaree Williams is a class of 2025 prospect out of The Benjamin School (North Plam Beach, FL). A 6-foot-4, 200-pound defensive end, Rutgers joins a crowded recruitment that includes the likes of Auburn and Florida among others.

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He received recent offers from Charlotte and Liberty. In January, he was offered by Miami.

 

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Rutgers football recruiting: Montele Johnson set to drop his top seven teams

Rutgers football recruit Montele Johnson ready to announce his top seven.

Michigan linebacker Montele Johnson will be announcing his top seven teams at the end of the month. The three-star is a target of Rutgers football and one of the player’s eight Power Five offers.

Johnson, from West Bloomfield High School (West Bloomfield, MI), helped guide a strong defense and was part of a Lakers team that went 8-2.

A three-star recruit, he had 102 total tackles last season including 23 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries. He holds Power Five offers from Boston College, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri, Purdue and West Virginia in addition to Rutgers.

The class of 2024 recruit is a solid 6-foot-2, 220-pounds.

In addition to his eight Power Five offers, Johnson also holds a number of offers including from several MAC programs.

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In a social media post on Thursday, Johnson announced that a top seven is coming:

 

Rutgers football currently has three commits in the class of 2024. One of the commitments is Gabriel Winowich, a four-star running back from Michigan.

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Winowich committed to Rutgers in January while on a visit to the Scarlet Knights.